“And for Clara?” Vivian asked, her voice sharp with objection.

“A lump sum of five million dollars for herself,” Grandfather Bradford said, ignoring Vivian.

“In exchange, you will sign a non-disclosure agreement.”

“You will immediately issue a joint statement with our PR team denying any connection to the Bradford family.”

“The boys will be educated privately, overseas, at our expense.”

“And you will never speak of this to the press, now or in the future.”

I looked at the documents on the desk.

Twenty million dollars in total.

It was an astronomical sum, meant to buy my silence and bury my children’s identity forever.

Garrett stared at his grandfather, stunned.

“Grandfather, you can’t be serious,” Garrett said. “We don’t even have the DNA results yet.”

“The DNA is a formality, Garrett,” the old man said coldly. “Look at them. I know my own blood.”

“We cannot afford a public scandal right now,” Arthur Vance added quietly, looking at Garrett. “The refinancing of the Chicago developments depends entirely on market stability.”

I felt a quiet spark of satisfaction at Arthur’s words.

The refinancing.